Abdullah, King of Saudi Arabia

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News about Abdullah, King of Saudi Arabia, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jan. 28, 2015

Pres Obama takes bipartisan delegation of current and former American officials with him to Saudi Arabia to pay respects to family of late King Abdullah and reinforce relations between two countries. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Pres Obama ends his trip to India early to visit Saudi Arabia, where he will pay his respects to family of late King Abdullah and meet with his successor Crown Prince Salman. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Ross Douthat Op-Ed column suggests that Americans should feel sympathy for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, despite fact that he presided over repressive and wicked regime; argues that Abdullah was beholden to system that he inherited, much like past three United States presidents have been in their approach to post-Cold War Middle East, even if he was nominally interested in changing country's direction. MORE

Jan. 24, 2015

King Salman of Saudi Arabia quickly establishes chain of succession after death of King Abdullah, appointing his heir and heir to that heir as show of confidence in nation's future; analysts say kingdom nonetheless faces numerous pressures that ruling family has failed to address, like what to do with country's large and relatively uneducated youth population. MORE

Jan. 23, 2015

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, viewed by many as a guarded and cautious reformer during a time of monumental uncertainty throughout the Arab world, dies at age 90; one of the most important figures in modern Islam, Abdullah's greatest legacy may well be his focus on the international education of young Saudi men and women in hopes of fostering in the future a less conservative secular leadership for his kingdom. MORE

Jan. 3, 2015

Saudi Arabian royal court announces King Abdullah is suffering from pneumonia and has temporary tube to help him breathe; reports that he is hospitalized and is in stable condition; Abdullah is 90, and combination of his age and his latest affliction creates new uncertainty over his health. MORE

Jun. 28, 2014

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia assures American officials that he will use his influence with Sunni leaders in Iraq to try to speed the formation of a multisect government there; Saudis have been reluctant to support the formation of a new Iraqi government until it became clear that Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki would not be given a third term. MORE

Apr. 22, 2014

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia removes Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah from his post as the kingdom grapples with surge of new cases of virus known as Middle East respiratory syndrome. MORE

Mar. 29, 2014

Pres Obama reassures King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia that the United States remains committed to strengthening the moderate opposition in the Syrian civil war. MORE

Feb. 4, 2014

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia issues a royal decree that punishes citizens who fight in conflicts outside the kingdom; statement also says that any Saudi citizen who joins or aids terrorist groups will face five years to 30 years in jail; decree appears to be aimed at stemming the flow of Saudi fighters going to Syria. MORE

Feb. 1, 2014

Pres Obama plans to travel to Saudi Arabia in March 2014 for a meeting with King Abdullah, trip meant to mend a frayed relationship with a major American ally in the Middle East. MORE

Nov. 5, 2013

Secretary of State John Kerry seeks to reassure King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia that the Obama administration shares common objectives on Syria, Iran and Egypt; it is Kerry's first meeting with the king since becoming secretary of state. MORE

Nov. 1, 2013

Sec of State John Kerry will begin a nine-day trip to the Middle East, Europe and North Africa by stopping for talks with King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia; Abdullah, major ally, is angered over what he sees as Obama administration failures in Syria, Egypt, Palestinian-Israeli conflict and relations with Iran. MORE

Jan. 12, 2013

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah issues decree that for first time gives women seats on royal advisory council, but they will have to wear conservative Islamic head covering and use doors, offices and seating areas separate from men. MORE

Jul. 13, 2012

Mohamed Morsi, in his first foreign visit as Egypt's newly elected president, meets with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a signal that the two intend to set aside their profound ideological enmity in favor of pragmatic mutual interests. MORE

Jun. 19, 2012

Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud is named crown prince of Saudi Arabia, making him the heir apparent to King Abdullah. MORE

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Saudi Arabia’s new king, Salman, inherits both the policies put in place by the more assertive brother he is succeeding and the conflicts that in recent years have characterized relations with Washington.